Outdoor Video Magazine

Length: 5km (one way)
Time: 1.5-2.5 hours round trip.
Details: Jasper Parks Office
Date Done: March 20th 2007
Effort: Low
Rating: 5/10
Map: Not needed.

I was in Jasper this March with some friends of my from England. We did a little tour of the Rockies, doing some snowshoeing, downhill skiing, and I wanted to introduce them to cross-country skiing too. But despite fresh snow in Marmot (again), Jasper townsite was decidedly bare of snow. After enquiring at the Parks Office, I figured the Beaver Lake/Summit Lake trail would be our best bet to get some snow, seeing as it is halfway along the Maligne Lake road right at the end of Medicine Lake, and so is considerably higher than town.

Still the trail was in terrible shape (mostly thanks to the hikers that walk all over the ski tracks). The trail was essentially ice in the shape of human footprints. My friends really appreciated the sport of cross-coutnry skiing as they struggled up the ice on rented skis, falling at regular intervals, and sliding backwards constantly. I was fairing just as badly. I was just beginning to regret it, and was going to turn back, when we came out to Beaver Lake. Hah, we could ski over an inch of fresh snow on the gloriously flat lake. Finally they realised skiing can be fun! I would recommend skiing along the lake even if trail conditions are good, its nice to be surronded by the mountains for a stretch. At the end of the lake we rejoined the trail, and conditions got better as less hikers had made it this far and the trail flattened out. We sped along to Summit Lake at the end of the trail, 5km from the car park.

The trail itself (in good conditions) would make an OK ski, with some nice views when you break out of the trees at the two lakes. The views are nice, but not incredible, and the trail is quite interesting with a lot of ups and downs, but ultimately should be 100% ski-able even for a beginner. You have to cross just one avalanche path nearing the end of the trail. So the risk is minimal overall.

Coming back down was nice, you can double pole most of the way, and it makes for a nice quick return. We were lucky enough to get a sudden snow-storm that blew in to coat the nasty icy sections with 2 inches of fresh snow ready for the return trip. It softened the falls for my English friends on some of the faster downhill sections!